Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones Earbud Style (Black)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Review updated: March 2011

When I bought these, I was searching for a pair of headphones that would:
1. Fit snug inside my ear so as to not fall out or come loose when working out
2. Produce excellent sound while blocking most ambient noise
3. Have a comfortable clip and ear bud so that they can be worn for hours at a time.

I have been using these headphones specifically for almost four years (I'm on my second pair, but that's because I lost my originals.) I use them almost exclusively for working out (weightlifting, cardio and gymnastics) and have found no other headphones to compare for my needs. A few things that make these great: outstanding Sony quality sound, very snug and customizable fit and good noise reduction. Sony includes three different ear hanger/clip sizes as well as three different ear bud/cone sizes. This allows you to enjoy the best possible fit, and if needed, adjust each ear individually. The sound quality is superb, but, you must fully insert the earbuds so that they form a "seal" in order to experience the full sound. If the headphones are only partially inserted or if they come loose during your workout, they are practically inaudible. On the flip side, these are excellent for reducing ambient noise (the treadmills and gym speakers never drown out my music) which allows me to avoid annoying distractions at the gym.

Downsides: The cord is entirely to short. If you do not wear an armband, these headphones will require the use of an extension cable (included) in order to reach your belt clip/pocket. However, I gave up using the extension cable after it annoyingly came detached from the main cord several times each workout. Furthermore, the extension cable makes the overall cable length entirely too long. If they had made the original cord about 4 inches longer, it would have made everyone happy-- the armband wearers and the pocket people. Oh well.

Second issue: The ear bud fit, although snug, can potentially come loose after several minutes of "active" use (ie: running on treadmill). On my first pair of headphones, I needed to press on the ear buds gently to get the seal snug every several minutes. I don't seem to have this issue with my newer pair, but perhaps I am using a better fitting ear bud/cone this time.

Update: While I definitely recommend these headphones, I've deducted a star because after about 3 years of use they seem to irritate my inner ears quite a bit. I can't be certain whether its the plastic/rubber material the buds are made of or whether its the fact that I wear them very frequently (about 15 hours a week) while training and perspiring. The design, as I've mentioned, requires a rather tight fit between the earbud cone and your physical ear canal, so wearing them "loosely" isn't an option. If you have particularly sensitive ears, you might take this into consideration. If you're wondering, I clean them often with a 96% alcohol solution!

Overall: These are an excellent set of sport headphones with great sound. They are highly adjustable for a custom fit and have withstood many tortuous workouts and heavy perspiration. (They have even gone through the washing machine unscathed once or twice!) Highly recommended! A+

Note: I use these headphones with the SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 Player

I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of using the handy ear hooks (you get three sizes - S, M , L), the ear buds went in snug and comfortable (you also get three sizes), as well as the dynamic sound that filled my ears when I turn them on! Not only that, but the sound isolation takes all background noise away, so as not to deter from your listening pleasure. This beats noise cancelling because isolation rids background noise by keeping it out of the canal, whereas noise cancelling uses circuitry to counteract background noise, introducing artifacts into your audio.
I use a treadmill and bike long distances outside, and they have never budged. You put them in and they stay put. They also have a guard which prevents sweat from causing damage, which is excellent for outdoor activity, and can be easliy removed and washed. Because I ride a bike, I can pull the left earbud out of my ear, but still leave it hooked in place to hear the music, but more importantly, to hear traffic!
Bass response is deep and rich, but doesn't drown out the clarity and depth of the mids and highs. Volume level is excellent, and if you don't want to fiddle with your volume control, Koss, Shure, and others sell in-line volume controls to plug in for under $10 on Amazon.
For the price, you'll be hard pressed to find a better pair!
Have a great day.

About a year ago, I purchased an iPod Shuffle for working out. At the time, I was doing a lot of running (I still run today, just not as far). I would often base my runs on the length of songs (today I would run the distance of 12 songs, tomorrow 18 and so on), plus music makes the time go by. The classic iPod was just too bulky.

While I normally don't mind the basic iPod earbuds, they are terrible for working out; always falling out of my ear, I end up focusing on keeping them in-place rather than my task at hand.

In the past few years I've gone though various headphones looking for something that worked well, sounded decent and stayed in place. I've read reviews of all kinds, purchased headphones that were "made for working out" but nothing came close. My search ended up costing me more than I care to calculate and I had just about given up, doomed forever to readjust the bud in my ear.

But one day, while in Target, I saw these headphones. They had the in-ear design that I like and they featured an over-the-ear clip to keep them in place. To top it off, the price was right. I figured, "why not?"

I couldn't be happier.

First, they are comfortable. While working out, I hardly notice them.
Second, they stay in place without any problems. I've been using them for a few months now and I've never once had to make any re-adjustments.
Third, I'm no audiophile, but the sound is good. I wouldn't say great, as there has to be a reason why there are $100 headphones out there. For me, they sound great.
Lastly, they have a great cord. You might think this is silly, but its a key feature for me. Many of the headphones I've used in the past had a springy cord that I couldn't stand. During runs they would would always be bouncing, hitting my chin and driving me crazy. These Sony headphones have a cord much like the iPod earbuds that just "lay" and, for whatever reason, I vastly prefer this.

My only real complaint is that the cord is a bit long. Its is so minor that it's hardly worth mentioning, but I figure someone out there would like to know.

Looking for a way to keep your headphones in your ear, these are the way to go.

Pro's - Comfortable fit, short cord works well with MP3 Player on arm-band, extension cord works well, 3 different sizes of ear loops and ear cap covers.

Con's - Weak audio quality. In comparison, their quality is lower than Sony's $9.99 ear buds. Too costly for the quality you get.

My recommendation; If you're looking for work-out head phones get the Philips Magnavox Secure Fit Earbuds for $6.99. If you want high quality in the ear headphones get the Maximo iM-490S iMetal Isolation Earphones for $45.

Acutally, any in-ear earbud requires some tinkering with to get the best sound. I've been using these for over a year, jogging 3 times a week and have had no problems. In fact, I have the more expensive sony MDREX85LP buds but these sound nearly as good so I haven't used the costlier buds for months! Caveat, to get good base follow these instructions (also works for any decent earbud).

Decent bass response is achieved by a combination of the quality of the earbud AND the way you fit them to your ear - tightly. Those who complain about poor bass response probably did what I did the first time, before I learned better. You see, your ear canal helps serve as a chamber of sorts that allows low frequencies to resonate. A good earbud will take advantage of this sealed chamber effect to produce better balanced sound. The reason floor speaker cabinets are as large as they are - is to allow the bass to resonate in a chamber, too.

Here's how to make them work for you. First, put the buds into your ear the way you would normally wear them and listen to the bass and lower mid-range response - it probably is not too impressive the first time. Then, take both hands and press them deeper and tighter into both ears - and hear better bass and low mid-range response! It's a BIG difference. That's because you used your hands to create a tighter seal. Now your goal is to create this same effect without needing to manually press the buds into your ears all day long.

Sony provides 3 different sized rubber tips with these buds so you can experiment and approximate a good seal. When you put them on, press them in your ears tightly, and maybe give them a wiggle and a twist to make sure the rubber tips are sealing well.

For me, the deeper these are in, the better the bass and overall presence of the sound. I actually shove and twist them in quite deep. Here's how to do this without hurting your ears. First you hang them on your ear with the hangers. Then reach over your head with the opposite arm and pull your ear up. This straightens out your ear canal and allows you to push them in more easily with your free hand. This way you can slide them in deeper than you normally would. When you let go of your ear, the ear will close back onto the buds creating a tight seal. This can make a BIG difference in the quality of the sound.

If you try all the different tip sizes and ear depths and you still can't a good sound, then continue searching for a better-fitting bud. But if you get them adjusted right, you probably will NOT find a better active earbud value for the money.

Prons: The ear loop is the only feature of positive merit. It worked well to keep the ear piece in place during moderate exercise. This is the only reason why I give it 1-star.

Cons: Model is defective. I've had three units go inoperative in two weeks or less of use. In each case, the right ear piece just stopped working.

Silicon ear inserts do not stay sealed during fitness activties, contributing to poor sound quality.

Summary: There is either a design flaw in this model or poor materials used for the audio components. The model is not designed as advertised for fitness use. As mentioned above, I had three separate units break and it was the right ear piece that went inoperative each time. Each unit only lasted for 14 days or less. In all cases, I was at the gym stretching and working out and there was no stress applied to the cord or ear pieces. I was listening to music and then the right ear piece went dead. I ended-up sending the first unit into Sony for repair since it was under warrenty. While waiting for Sony to send me a replacement unit (which took several weeks) I purchases a second MDR-AS40EX unit since I originally thought I just purchased a defective set. This second unit also went inoperative within two weeks of use and it was the right ear peice again that died on me. By this time, I had received the Sony replacement unit (third set) in the mail and I started to use it. Just like clockwork, the same defect occured in the right ear piece in less then two weeks. In all cases, I was using the headset for normal fitness activity and there was no stress applied to the cord or earpieces. I also used a damp cloth (just water) to wipe down the ear pieces and cord after each use.

These turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. They fit nicely in the ear but stay in very well because of the removable over the ear clips. The sound is fine for running outside or on a treadmill. So far, sweat hasn't shorted them out, unlike my other ear buds. The cord is short for wearing my ipod on my arm but can be lengthened for wearing it on your waist.

When I was buying headphones, the only thing I cared about was the headphones staying in my ear while I was running. I didnt particularly care about sound quality or anything like that, I just wanted something that wouldnt tug on my head or fall out of my ear. These are perfect! They come with three sizes to find the perfect fit for your ear and then have a clip so you can clip the wire to your so it wont tug on your head. They really are well designed. And then as an added bonus, they really do sound great. I highly recommend them.

I got these when they were $40. The design seemed like it would be good for running with the ear hooks and the the in-ear headphones tend to sound really good. Great combination, right? Wrong. The worked well until I started to sweat. Once you start to sweat, they slip out of your ears and you are constantly having to push them back in. When they slide out of perfect position in your ear they sound terrible. You lose all the bass when they lose the seal with your ear canal. To be fair, I haven't yet found a pair of in-ear headphones that work well for exercising but these are especially bad when they get wet. They are simply not usable.

Then there is the cord issue. I understand what they were trying to do with the 2 piece cord. Use the short cord when you have your armband on and use the extender if you are holding it in your hand or on a belt clip. I tend to do the latter and the extender makes the cord heavier and makes the issue of them coming out of your ears worse.

If you are not active, or if you don't sweat when you exercise, they may be okay for you. If you do sweat, they are a complete waste of money. I went back to my cheap Philips Flexible Earhook Headphones SHS3200/28 (Black) (replaces SHS3200/37) headphones which cost about $10. They have less bass but work very well for exercising. They stay in your ears and sound decent, even if they aren't in a perfect position in your ears. For cold weather running, there are some Sony headphones that do work really well. The Sony MDR-G57G S2 Sports Street Style Headphones with Reflective Ear Piece have great sound quality, stay in place, and are fairly comfortable.

My first set of Sony earbuds (Fontopia MDR-E828LP's) finally shorted out after seven years of constant use and abuse. I had used them from working out to chilling out. They sounded great and now I needed a replacement. I bought these ear buds with the intent to use them while working out. The over-the-ear clip design works fantastic and is very comfortable. I don't notice the clips unless something puts tension on the cord. That's when I feel a tug on the ears, but the buds stay right where you stick'em. At first listen, I was not impressed. I thought, "Where did all the bass go?". I turned up the volume a little more to see if that would help. At this point the treble was quite overwhelming. I figured my ear wasn't getting a good seal so I repositioned them to the point that I couldn't hear ANY ambient noise. I turned the music back on and turned the volume back down. I was blessed with breaktakingly accurate sound. These 'phones have a truly flat reponse from 10-23,000Hz (My ears are only good up to 16,500, but the performance is still quite remarkable). These things are CRYSTAL clear!! No boominess (from the lack of TwinTurbo circuitry), detailed, and punctual. Amazing sound for $40.00! Sure and Klipsch watch out!

Sony is marketing these to the wrong demographic in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend them for working out as my hearing is affected by changes in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and movement. All that tends to drown out the middle and (in particular) lower frquencies. For working out I recommend MDR-E828LP or MDR-E827G's. Another concideration if you're in persuit of ridiculous headphone bass is to go with the MDR-ED21LP's. This is what I ended up purchasing for working out. The treble is slightly muffled compared to the 28LP, 27G, and definitely the 40EX's, but the bass is VERY pronounced and they fit securely. I should be good for another seven years or so.

Choose carefully (paying attention to specs like Sensitivety, Frequency Response, and ear piece shape/size), and you'll be rewarded with an affordable set of headphones that are sure to please for a long time. :-)